Where are you now working, and what is your job title?
I am working at Analyte Health and my title is User Experience Designer. We are a startup in the health industry with a focus on connecting people to affordable care.

Tell us a little bit about your new job!
We have thousands of people using our service everyday. When I had arrived here, they hadn’t had a designer in two years! A lot of what I’m doing now is working closely with the business analyst, content strategist and the product team in order to define goals, refresh the language and visual feel of the brand, and get the conversion numbers up! Every page/funnel/experience being designed is A/B tested so my work is measured. So far so good, I haven’t lost any A/B tests with my redesigns yet!

How would you describe the DESIGNATION experience?
My DESIGNATION experience was special. I built very close relationships with a lot of people. It was a transformative time in my life that changed the trajectory of my career forever. Heavy!

“My DESIGNATION experience was special. It was a transformative time in my life that changed the trajectory of my career forever.”

What was the most interesting or useful thing you learned during the cohort?
The most interesting thing/the most important thing I learned is that you can figure it out. What I mean by that is whenever you don’t know how to do something, whether it’s on a client project, or building a fence, or baking a pie, you have the resources out there & the people around you to help figure it out.

What are the people at DESIGNATION like (including staff, instructor and fellow students)?
The people at DESIGNATION were pillars of support for each other. Nothing but great memories, conversations and occasional debates. DESIGNATION was filled with a diverse crowd of people with different backgrounds, which became of great value on client projects.

What were you doing before you came to DESIGNATION?
Before DESIGNATION, I was a preschool teacher and a bartender, with a Fine Arts degree in painting and minor in marketing.

How did you hear about DESIGNATION, and why did you decide to come?
I heard about DESIGNATION through someone I had met on a trip to the Kentucky Derby a couple years back (shout out to Erin Dunn). I decided to come because, having taken a couple of design classes in college and always having an interest in tech, it just sounded like something I knew I could do & it lit a fire under me. I literally looked up the website on my phone in the car on the way to the Kentucky Derby when she told me about it and the rest is history.

How did DESIGNATION help prepare you for your new role?
Designation gave me real world experience via client projects. The program also provided me with the mindset that was previously aforementioned–that we as designers are problem solvers, and through research and savvy, we can find the solution. The attitude to keep looking for new tools for new problems has stuck with me heavily throughout this past year.

What was your favorite part of the DESIGNATION experience?
My favorite part was the first day. Learning about the diversity of the group, everyone’s past and how those roads lead to DESIGNATION. Everyone’s story and optimism set the pace for an inspiring and exciting 18 weeks.

What advice would you give to someone who was trying to break into the industry?
My advice would be to stay optimistic, keep learning, make connections & keep yourself keen to the fast pace, and ever-changing design world by subscribing to email newsletters like DesignerNews, HeyDesigner, Invision’s Blog, Medium, etc. There are great articles to learn from for any designer to stay inspired and ahead of the game.